Harvard undergrad killed in van accident

A Harvard University student was killed when a van containing several students crashed in New Jersey on Monday. Credit: Amanda Art/Metro

A van filled with Harvard University undergrads crashed in New Jersey on Monday, killing one.

Angela R. Mathew, 20, was killed on Monday when the van she and several other students were driving in crashed as it traveled back to Cambridge from Virginia, where they were participating in a Mock Trial Association event. State police told the Harvard Crimson that the group's van crossed over multiple lanes of traffic and slammed into a guardrail before being struck by a tractor-trailer.

New Jersey State Police told the Crimson that Mathew, a junior majoring in neuroscience, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Three other Harvard students, Florence Y. Chen, Jacob R. Steinberg-Otter, and Graham J. Wyatt, were rushed to an area hospital.

“This is a tragedy and I join you all in the feeling of loss Angela's death brings. She was a very bright, talented young woman. Our hearts are broken,” Harvard College interim Dean Donald Pfister wrote in an email to students early Monday evening. “This is a very sudden and unexpected loss.”

Angela had won an Outstanding Witness award at the mock trial event, according to competition results. The Harvard junior lived in Leverett House and aspired to become a doctor. She was remembered by friends and fellow students in the Harvard Crimson on Tuesday.